Waking Up to Grace

What did Christ actually finish? In this episode, we trace Scripture’s story of rebellion and restoration from Eden and the Tower of Babel to the nations, the coming of Christ, and the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan.

Romans 1:1–7 introduces Jesus Christ as the Son of God in power and points toward the obedience of faith among all the nations. From there, we explore the larger story of what God promised to restore through His Son, including Christ’s victory over rebellious spiritual powers, the reclaiming of the nations, the fulfillment of prophecy, and the restoration of mankind to fellowship with God.

The finished work of Christ leaves those who belong to Him reconciled to God, secure in His grace, and free to serve Him from the heart rather than through rules, fear, or religious striving.

Read the companion Bible study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/043-grace-restored-understanding-christs-finish-romans-1-1-7/

What is the divine council in the Bible, and what happened when members of the heavenly host rebelled against Yahweh?

In this episode, we follow the biblical picture of Yahweh as God Most High and Creator of all things, including the heavenly host. From Romans and Genesis to Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Daniel, and the prophets, we examine the sons of God, the Nephilim, the divine council, and the spiritual rebellion that runs through the biblical story.

These passages do not diminish Yahweh’s sovereignty. They reveal just how completely He stands above every created power, whether in heaven or on earth.

Read the companion study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/042-the-rebellion-of-yahwehs-divine-council-romans-1-1-7/

What does it mean to be obedient to God? When Paul writes in Romans 1:5 about “the obedience of faith,” is he calling Christians to prove their faith through discipline and rule keeping, or is he describing an obedience that comes through believing Christ?

In this episode, we work through Romans 1:1–7 alongside John 3:36, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 11:6, and other passages to examine the relationship between faith and obedience. Paul is not mixing grace with self-effort. In the case of faith, obedience is belief, and the Christian life grows from faith, grace, and the love of Christ rather than fear, punishment, or religious rules.

We also consider what happens when our enthusiasm for faith fades, why returning to the love we knew when we first believed can renew us, and what it means to cherish the commands of Christ and serve freely from the heart under grace.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/041-how-to-be-obedient-to-god-effortlessly-romans-1-1-7/

Is Jesus Yahweh? In this episode, we explore what Scripture reveals about the names Yahweh and Yeshua, beginning with Paul’s words “for the sake of his name” in Romans 1.

We look at the meaning of Yeshua’s Hebrew name, Paul’s use of Joel in Romans 10, and Philippians 2, where Jesus Christ is confessed as Lord. Following those connections leads to the central conclusion of this study: Yeshua is Yahweh in the flesh.

We also look at the divine name YHWH, why English Bibles commonly display it as LORD, and the meaning carried by several Hebrew names in Scripture. This is not about creating a new rule for which name Christians must use. It is about seeing what these names reveal and why the name Yahweh matters when we speak about the identity of Christ.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/040-does-god-have-a-name-romans-1-1-7/

What does it mean to be chosen by God? In Romans 1:1–7, Paul describes believers as those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. From there, we follow that calling into Romans 8 and consider foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification.

Along the way, we also explore the power of God, the miraculous gifts given to the first-century church, and how the Holy Spirit continues to guide and teach believers today. But Paul’s teaching about God’s sovereignty ultimately leads somewhere deeply reassuring: if God is for us, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

Read the companion Bible study and join the conversation:
 https://wakinguptograce.com/039-jesus-is-lord-and-he-chose-you-romans-1-1-7/

What is biblical fellowship, and can a Christian fall out of fellowship with God because of sin, failure, or poor discipleship?

In this episode, we look at how discipleship can become another system of rules when it is tied to maintaining fellowship with God. We consider what Jesus meant by taking up our cross, Paul’s picture of unity in the body of Christ in Ephesians 4, and the fellowship language of 1 John.

Biblical fellowship is more than gathering in the same building or following the same religious practices. Fellowship among believers grows from shared truth, love, and life in Christ. And for those who belong to Christ, fellowship with the Father is not a fragile relationship that must be repeatedly restored through religious performance.

Read the companion study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/038-the-discipleship-fellowship-debacle/

What is biblical discipleship? Is becoming a disciple of Christ something Christians achieve through obedience, sacrifice, and spiritual discipline, or have we turned discipleship into a separate level of the Christian life that Scripture never establishes?

In this episode, we look at how the Bible uses the word disciple, why the language is concentrated in the Gospels and Acts, and what Jesus meant when He described the seemingly impossible cost of being His disciple in Luke 14. We also examine John 6 and John 15, where Jesus points away from human achievement and toward the Father’s work, belief, and His own choice: “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”

Good works, obedience, and growing in our relationship with Christ matter. But this conversation questions the idea that discipleship is a separate works-based category through which Christians achieve holiness or fellowship with God. Whether we choose to use the word disciple for believers today or not, our life, righteousness, holiness, and fellowship are found in Christ rather than earned through human effort.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/037-can-christians-be-disciples/

Who was Junia in the Bible, and does Romans 16:7 actually identify her as an apostle?

In this episode, we look closely at Paul’s words about Junia and Andronicus, comparing the way several Bible translations handle Junia’s name and the phrase translated “among the apostles.” We also examine the historical evidence surrounding Junia’s identity as a woman and consider what Paul’s other writings reveal about the place of women in the first-century church.

The evidence leads us to a clear conclusion: Junia was a woman, and Paul identifies her among the apostles.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/036-the-woman-apostle-romans-16-1-7/

What is an apostle in the Bible, and does the biblical role of apostle continue in the church today?

Beginning with Paul’s introduction in Romans, we look at the difference between being a servant of Christ and being called as an apostle. Paul repeatedly describes his apostleship as something given by the will and command of God, not a position he chose for himself or received from men.

We follow Paul’s calling through his letters, Acts 9, and Galatians 1, where Christ personally reveals Himself to Paul and sends him with a particular mission. Along the way, we consider what it means to be called and sent by Christ, the sovereignty of God seen in Paul’s conversion, and why biblical apostleship cannot simply be reduced to someone being a messenger or ministry leader.

The question ultimately becomes straightforward: if Christ chose and sent the apostles for a particular mission, should Christians still claim the office of apostle today?

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/035-do-we-have-christian-apostles-today-romans-1-1-7/

What happens when we compare our church traditions with what we actually see in Scripture?

As we prepare to walk through Paul’s letter to the Romans, we look at the world in which the Roman Christians lived, the tensions between Jewish and Gentile believers, and why understanding their historical setting matters before applying Paul’s words to ourselves.

That leads to a larger question. What did the first century church actually look like? We examine early Christian gatherings, first-century synagogues, sermons, leadership, participation by the whole body, and the difference between traditions handed down by the apostles and the “traditions of men” Paul warned about.

Church may feel familiar simply because we inherited a particular way of doing it. But familiarity does not make a tradition biblical. Scripture gives us something better than assuming, “This is just the way church is done.” It gives us the freedom to examine our traditions and ask whether they help the whole body participate, learn, discern, and grow together in Christ.

Read the companion reflection and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/034-intro-to-romans-and-how-to-do-church-romans/